Australian Gold Coins

Australian Gold Coins are one of the widest collections of gold bullion products available on the precious metals market today. Gold coins manufactured in Australia are produced by two mints, The Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint, which ensures a large variety of sizes and designs. Australian Gold Coins are highly desired by investors and collectors due to their high gold content, exceptional quality, and various size options. The Perth Mint is one of the few mints to produce coins of .9999 pure gold which are IRA eligible. Their most popular coin series is the Lunar Gold series, which was first issued in 1996.

Perth Mint Vs Royal Australian Mint

The Perth Mint is older than the Royal Australian Mint and it used to be one of the British Royal Mint’s branches until 1970. The Royal Australian Mint was founded 1965 and it also produces circulating coins. Both mints share similar coin programs, like the Lunar series and the Kangaroo coins, but they also produce their own unique coin collections. Although the obverse side of the coins produced by both mints features the same profile portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the difference between them is that the obverse side of the Royal Australian Mint coins also features specific encircled elements.

The Perth Mint

The Perth Mint is a world-renowned mint, known for creating some of the most beautiful coin design collections, along with high quality and purity levels that only a few international mints have managed to achieve. The oldest Australian mint was established in 1899, two years before Australia was recognized as a commonwealth. Along with the Perth Mint, the Melbourne, and Sydney mints also manufactured gold coins under the British Royal Mint’s government. About 735,000 half-sovereigns and 106 million sovereigns, made of gold, were produced by the Perth Mint between 1901 and 1936. Up until 1970, the mint remained under British control. The mint is considered to be one of the finest gold and silver coin producers and refiners, being famous for its Kangaroo and Lunar series. The mint gained its one of a kind reputation of highly exceptional quality in 1957 when it produced the first .999999 gold bullion plate. The Perth Mint is a state-owned entity in Western Australia and doesn’t produce any official Australian currency coins (those are struck by the Royal Australian Mint). However, the Perth Mint Gold coins are legal tender according to the Currency Act of 1965. Besides producing Gold Australian Coins, the Perth Mint also manufactures commemorative and official coins for other international companies and governments.

The Royal Australian Mint

The Royal Australian Mint was founded in 1965 in Canberra, Australia’s capital, and is the only Australian mint to manufacture circulating Australian Gold Coins. Its establishment coincided with the introduction of the decimal currency into circulation in 1966. Originally, the Melbourne Mint and Royal Australian Mint were operating concurrently until demand for the decimal coinage was covered and the mint in Melbourne closed. The mint also produces military and Olympic medals, medals for civilian honors, like the Order of Australia, and coins for other nations, like Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, Malaysia, Thailand, and many others. Since the mint’s opening, it has manufactured over 14 billion coins, with the capacity to mint 2 million coins per day. The mint manufactured the first unique double hologram coin that celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Australian Federation in November 2001.

Australian Gold Coins Sizes and Designs

Australian Gold Coins are produced by the highest purity and quality standards in various weight options. The available sizes for Australian Gold Coin vary from the regular 1 troy oz. gold size down to the fractional sizes of ½ oz., 1/5 oz., ¼ oz., 1/10 oz. and 1/20 oz. Some Australian Gold Coins are available in larger sizes of 2 oz., 5 oz., 10 oz. and 1 kilo. The most popular Australian Gold Coin designs are the Koala Gold Coin, the Kangaroo Gold Coin, and the Lunar Series. Gold Koalas are produced by the Perth Mint while the Kangaroo and Lunar Series gold coin collections are manufactured by both the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint.

Australian Lunar Series Gold Coins

Lunar Series Gold Coins celebrate the Chinese 12-year lunar calendar by annually depicting zodiac animals on the reverse side of the coins: the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, the pig, the mouse, the ox, the tiger, and the rabbit. Australian Lunar Series coins are produced by both the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint, however, the Perth Mint collection is more known by numismatists because it was the first one to be released. The first Perth Mint Lunar series coins were issued from 1996 through 2007, followed by the second lunar series that started in 2008. The first coin released in both Perth Mint Gold Lunar series was the “Year of the Mouse” and the latest coin to be released in the ongoing second series is the 2018 “Year of the Dog” gold coin. The Royal Australian Mint Lunar series started in 2007 with the issue of the “Year of the Pig” gold coin and continues with the latest “Year of the Dog” gold coin. Both mints produce Lunar series gold coins with the highest .9999 pure gold content.

The Australian Kangaroo Gold Coin

Just like the Lunar Series, the Australian Kangaroo Gold Coin is manufactured both by the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint. The Perth Mint produces Gold Kangaroos of .9999 pure gold in 1/20 oz., 1/10 oz., ¼ oz., ½ oz. and 1 troy oz. sizes. The reverse side of the coin depicts the largest marsupial animal in the world, the Red Kangaroo, in its natural surroundings. The design of the coin was inspired by the Australian Gold Nugget; after its reverse side design changed to depict the kangaroo, it became the Kangaroo coin series. The Royal Australian Mint produces Gold Kangaroos of the same coin sizes, except its 1/20 oz. weight option. The latest Royal Australian Mint Kangaroo Gold coins are issued and guaranteed by the innovative PAMP Veriscan Assay Card.

The Australian Koala Gold Coin

Another popular gold coin design produced by the Perth Mint is the Australian Koala Gold coin, which is available in bullion and proof editions. The coin was released for the first time in 2008 and is struck in 1/25 oz., 1/10 oz., 1 oz. and 2 oz. sizes. Each year, the mint changes the reverse design of the coin, depicting a different image of the iconic Australian mammal, the koala. These coins are made of .9999 pure gold and are IRA eligible. The Perth Mint also manufactures special Mini Koala Gold Coin issues of 0.5 grams.

If you have any questions about these highly desired Australian Gold Coins, please feel free to contact us at 800.852.6884. You can also reach our friendly and helpful Bullion Exchanges customer service associates online through the use of our live chat feature, or by email at info@bullionexchanges.com.